Kidlington Wildlife

Kidlington is a fine place for those who like walking in the countryside and enjoy the world of nature. At first sight the village may appear to be little more than a dense cluster of buildings, but around its perimeter are freely accessible areas of largely unspoilt habitats, the extent of which can be equalled in few places elsewhere. Little wonder it has been described as “Kidlington, a haven for wildlife.”

The River Cherwell meanders south from Thrupp and along the east of Kidlington to Mill End. Along its margins are many overhanging willows, and the bank side vegetation includes reed beds that attract Reed Warblers and Reed Buntings. It is well stocked with fish, Herons visit regularly, and Kingfishers nest in its banks, although escaped Mink have unfortunately been noted recently. Between the river and the village are broad, green fields through most of which visitors may wander freely.

The central access point to these is the car park behind St Mary’s Church which leads onto a nature reserve, known as St Mary’s Fields, owned and maintained by the Parish Council with the help of volunteers. This wild area has a rich variety of indigenous shrub and tree species providing ideal habitats for many bird species including healthy populations of warblers, tits and thrushes. Flowers include Pyramid and Bee Orchids, and typical wet meadow plants such as Meadowsweet and Angelica. Roe Deer, Muntjacs and Foxes are frequently present, butterflies are plentiful, and Grass Snakes have been recorded. Surveys show the churchyard has an exceptional variety of wild plants, and Swifts breeding in the church tower put on spectacular flying displays in mid summer.

Heading north from here, before reaching Thrupp, is the extensive Community Woodland planted in the 1990s by the Forestry Commission with wildlife and conservation in mind. A network of permissive paths has been created proving interesting routes around the carefully selected species of deciduous trees. These are all growing vigorously and increasing the variety of wildlife present. Cuckoos can be heard daily in early summer, and in winter the alder trees are occupied by hungry flocks of Siskins, Redpolls and Goldfinches.

To the south of St Mary’s Fields are open meadows bordered by thick hawthorn hedges. Sir Richard Branson has purchased these and generously allowed the public free access. The conspicuous ridge and furrow patterns are reminders of their earlier use by Kidlington villagers for agriculture. From a mound it is possible to watch the creatures using the large lake created in Sir Richard’s estate at Mill End that include a number of imported ornamental wildfowl such as Black Swans which have bred successfully for several years. Between this lake and a bend in the River Cherwell is an overgrown area with reeds and damp places occupied by colonies of Reed Warblers in summer, and Bitterns and Woodcock in winter.

On the other side of Kidlington to the west is the Oxford Canal .. A walk along its towpath shows it to be one of the most productive sections of this canal in Oxfordshire. A pair of Swans, several Mallards and some very tame Moorhens nest along the banks. Water Voles, once a very common sight, survived here later than in most other local waterways, although the recent arrival of Mink may have recently caused their extinction here.

Just north of Roundham Lock is a Site of Special Scientific Interest known as Rushy Meadows. This is a fine example of a wet meadow, extremely rich botanically with a number of plants that are becoming increasingly uncommon, such as Ragged Robin, Devils Bit Scabious, Marsh Valerian and Marsh Orchid. Although they no longer breed here, many Snipe spend winter here, and in summer Grasshopper Warblers can sometimes be heard. This site can be viewed from the canal bank and from the footpath leading to Begbroke.

Further down the canal, south of bridge 227, the vegetation along the banks becomes denser and the neighbouring fields have substantial hedges with mature trees that attract birds all year round, with Green Woodpeckers all the year, and conspicuous flocks of immigrant Redwings and Fieldfares in winter. These fields can be easily observed from the canal, and one triangular strip south of Roundham Lock, known as Fen Corner, is open to the public.

The countryside immediately south of Kidlington village has also been made accessible to the public in recent years. When farming ceased on a large field there, the County, District and local village councils co-operated to ensure this part of the green belt remained green by creating a series of sports’ fields. The site was too large for this purpose alone, so the Woodland Trust was encouraged to extend the mature strip of woodland known as Stratfield Brake (unfortunately now bisected by the A.34/A.40 link road). Hundreds of trees were planted with the help of local volunteers in the late 1990s. These have grown vigorously, and will in future complement the old wood, that for years has supported a large breeding colony of Rooks, many titmice, and is often visited by Buzzards.

However the plan to extend the planting to the lower section near the canal was abandoned when local birdwatchers described the importance to bird and plant life this extremely wet area had become. As a result an impressive wetland area,, with a mosaic of lakes, shallows and islands, was designed for the Woodlands Trust by the Environment Agency. These have produced ideal conditions for numerous dragonflies and damselflies, and have been visited by unusual birds such as Little Egrets and Green Sandpipers. A group of local naturalists who now monitor developments had recorded 96 bird species throughout the Stratfield Brake area by the end of 2004. They have also fitted 14 nest boxes in the wood, and are planning to introduce more.

As the main car park near the Pavilion designed for the use of the sports groups is not regularly open, it cannot be used by visitors wishing to walk around the woodland and lakes, but an additional car park for such people is planned for the near future.

For those who would like to make a circular tour, there is a pleasant walk around the outskirts of the village designed by the Oxfordshire County Council incorporating most of the sites mentioned above. Pamphlets describing this can be obtained from www.oxfordshire.gov.uk/index/libraries_heritage_countryside/

How lucky we are to live in Kidlington.

Text supplied by John Brucker, Vice-President and Conservation Officer for the Oxford Ornithological Society.

For more information about birds in Kidlington and Oxfordshire visit www.oos.org.uk.

For a guide to fauna and flora of the region visit the Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire Wildlife Trust (BBOWT) www.wildlifetrust.org.uk